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Research as of Nov. 1, 2026. Early voting: Mon., Oct. 19 to Sun., Nov. 1. Election Day: Tue., Nov. 3, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m..Early voting runs through 7 p.m. Sun., Nov. 1; Election Day is Tue., Nov. 3.Early voting ended Sun., Nov. 1. Election Day is Tue., Nov. 3, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., at your precinct's polling place.Election Day, Tue., Nov. 3: polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at your precinct's polling place.Polls closed at 7 p.m. Tue., Nov. 3; anyone in line by then still votes. Check your voter info at votehillsborough.gov

State Senate, District 20

State Legislature

Listen: this contest in 1:30

Research as of Nov. 1, 2026

Read by a synthetic voice from this page’s research. A summary, not a recommendation.

Read the transcript

In Florida Senate District 20, the man in line to lead the state Senate faces a first-time candidate. Republican Jim Boyd, the incumbent, faces Democrat Gerald Baldi. Boyd is the Senate Majority Leader. In October 2025 he was named Senate president-designate. He sponsored a 2022 law creating a state reinsurance program for property insurers, and he voted for the property tax amendment on this November's ballot. His campaign lists tax cuts, lower insurance costs, affordable housing, school choice and conservation. Baldi is a former advertising executive who won the August Democratic primary with about 67 percent. He stresses clean water, public education, environmental protection and local control. No public poll was found. In state filings through October 29, Boyd had raised about 251 thousand dollars, Baldi about 6 thousand. Boyd is endorsed by the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Associated Industries of Florida, Florida Realtors and the Hillsborough Republican Party. Creative Loafing Tampa Bay's editors back Baldi. The Bradenton Times, in an editorial, also recommends Baldi. It argues Boyd has backed bills that limit local authority in Manatee County, and acknowledges Baldi entered late against a well-funded incumbent. The Tampa Bay Times made no picks in state Senate races. Research as of November 1, 2026. Sources and the full picture are on this page.

This contest is on some Hillsborough County ballots, not on the example ballot this site is built around. Find my ballot shows whether it’s on yours, or check your county’s sample ballot or the official precinct finder.Check your county’s sample ballot or the official precinct finder to see whether it’s on yours.

FactOfficial sample ballot wording

State Senator, District 20 · Vote for one

  • Jim BoydRepublican Party
  • Gerald BaldiDemocratic Party
Lead recommendationEditorialCreative Loafing Tampa Bay, Oct. 22, 2026

Creative Loafing’s pick

Gerald Baldi

Why

Creative Loafing listed this pick in its guide without a write-up. Its reporting on the race is below.

Creative Loafing voting guide 2026: How to vote in Tampa Bay, and who we're voting for

From the record our summary of sourced facts, not Creative Loafing’s words

  • The Bradenton Times recommends Baldi, arguing Sen. Jim Boyd has backed developer-driven bills that strip local control. (The Bradenton Times)
  • Boyd voted for this year’s land-use preemption bill (HB 399), the mid-decade congressional map and the union recertification law. (The Florida Senate)
  • Baldi, a retired ad executive and banker, runs on home rule, clean water and public schools. (The Bradenton Times)

Why this leads: The site owner's choice (Oct. 24): the recommendation that best matches the owner's values, shown first on every contest. Still an editorial: one outlet's opinion, not this site's.

Where it stands

Fact

Boyd is the incumbent and the Senate president-designate; in 2022 he won an 80-20 Republican primary and had no general-election opponent. No public polls of this race were found. Through Oct. 29, 2026, Boyd's campaign account reported about $251,000 in monetary contributions against about $5,600 for Baldi.9,7,5,4,2,3,8

  • 2026: Democratic primary: Gerald Baldi 66.8% (20,187) vs John Houman 33.2% (10,018)2
  • 2022: Republican primary: Jim Boyd 80.0% (76,503) vs John Houman 20.0% (19,168); Boyd was then elected with no general-election opponent3,8
  • 2020: Senate District 21 (prior district): Jim Boyd (R) 61.0% vs Anthony "Tony" Eldon (D) 39.0%14

No polls found in the research.

Research as of Oct 23, 2026.

The money gap

Fact

45×Jim Boyd has raised 45 times as much as Gerald Baldi.

  • Jim BoydRepublican · incumbent

    $250,534as of Oct 29, 2026

  • Gerald BaldiDemocrat

    $5,630as of Oct 29, 2026

Monetary contributions reported to election officials. In-kind contributions and loans are left out here and listed under each candidate below.

Candidates and money

Fact

Jim BoydRepublican · incumbent

Jim Boyd, a Bradenton Republican who lists his occupation as insurance and investments, has held the District 20 seat and is the Senate's Majority (Republican) Leader. He served in the Florida House from 2010 to 2018 and was elected to the Senate in 2020. In October 2025 he was named Senate president-designate, which positions him to lead the chamber after the 2026 election.7,18,24

  • The Senate lists his prior public service as Florida House of Representatives (2010-2018), Palmetto City Council (1988-1991) and commissioner of the North River Fire District; his education is a B.S. from Florida State University (1978).18
  • He serves as the Senate's Majority (Republican) Leader for a district covering parts of Hillsborough and Manatee counties.18
  • On Oct. 14, 2025, he was named Florida Senate president-designate at a ceremony in the Senate chamber, and he said fiscal responsibility would remain a top priority.24
  • He sponsored CS/SB 2-D (May 2022 special session) on property insurance, which created a state reinsurance program for insurers; it passed the Senate 30-9 and became Chapter 2022-268.13
  • He was a co-introducer of CS/SB 102 (2023), the "Live Local Act" housing bill, which passed the Senate 40-0.12
  • In the 2026 regular session his only measure as prime sponsor was SR 1774, a resolution commending Moffitt Cancer Center on its 40th anniversary (adopted Jan. 29, 2026); he co-introduced six other bills.19,20
  • He voted yes on CS/CS/SB 180 (2025, "Emergencies"), which among other things limits certain local ordinances on substantial improvements to structures; the Senate passed it 37-0 on April 9, 2025, he was recorded as a yea after the roll call on the May 2 final vote (34-1), and it became Chapter 2025-190.10,16,15
  • He voted yes on CS/HJR 1-F (June 2, 2026 special session), the homestead-exemption and assessment-cap joint resolution that is on the Nov. 3 ballot as the property tax amendment; the Senate passed it 30-9.11,17,1
  • His campaign site lists fighting inflation through tax cuts, border security, lower insurance costs through lawsuit limits, affordable housing (Live Local Act), school choice and conservation such as the Florida Wildlife Corridor.30

Raised $250,534, spent $40,611 (DOS campaign treasurer's reports, all-dates totals through the period ending Oct. 29, 2026 (G6); cumulative since the account opened 10/19/2022, as of Oct 29, 2026)Raised is monetary contributions only; the same summary shows $26,666.78 in in-kind contributions, $0 in loans, and $6,516.42 in other distributions. The DOS summary page does not show cash on hand. Does not include any affiliated political committee.5

Gerald BaldiDemocrat

Gerald Baldi is a first-time candidate who won the August 2026 Democratic primary for District 20. The Bradenton Times describes him as a 70-year-old former advertising executive who later worked in real estate, financial services and banking, and as a co-organizer of Indivisible Manatee rallies in west Bradenton.6,2,23

  • He filed on May 18, 2026, qualified on June 12, 2026 by paying the qualifying fee, and serves as his own campaign treasurer.6
  • He won the Aug. 18, 2026 Democratic primary with 66.8% (20,187 votes) over John Houman's 33.2% (10,018).2
  • The Bradenton Times reported that he entered the race in mid-March 2026 and that his campaign had a limited online presence and modest grassroots fundraising.23
  • His campaign site lists clean water, affordable energy, growth that benefits residents, quality education, government transparency and accountability, protection of coastlines and wetlands, and equal treatment under the law.28
  • The Bradenton Times reported that at a League of Women Voters forum he described a platform centered on home rule, environmental protection and public education.23

Raised $5,630, spent $42 (DOS campaign treasurer's reports, all-dates totals through the period ending Oct. 29, 2026 (G6); cumulative since 05/18/2026, as of Oct 29, 2026)Raised is monetary contributions; the summary shows $0 in loans, in-kind contributions and other distributions. Net expenditures include negative (refund or adjustment) entries in two periods. The DOS summary page does not show cash on hand.4

Other editorial pages

Opinion columns, not endorsements
  • Editorial The Bradenton Times (Oct 16, 2026): Gerald Baldi. General-election recommendation. The editorial argues Boyd has repeatedly backed developer-favored bills that preempt local authority in Manatee County, naming SB 180 and SB 399, and calls Baldi an engaged community organizer. It also acknowledges Baldi's late entry and the difficulty of beating a well-funded, well-known incumbent. It does not lay out arguments in Boyd's favor.22
  • Editorial The Bradenton Times (Jul 14, 2026): Gerald Baldi. Democratic primary recommendation over John Houman. The paper judged Baldi the better-organized candidate and the stronger general-election challenger, credited Houman's persistence, and cited Boyd's votes on preemption bills as a reason voters need a credible alternative.23

Not found in the research

  • Tampa Bay Times: its complete Nov. 3 recommendations list (https://www.tampabay.com/viewpoints/2026/09/27/candidate-ballot-measure-recommendations-november-3-election/, last updated Oct. 20, 2026) has no State Senate entries, so there is no Times pick for this race.
  • The Hillsborough all-races sample ballot (votehillsborough.gov DocumentCenter/View/2615) returned 403 and a bot check, so the field was verified against the DOS candidate list instead. DOS lists only Boyd (REP, incumbent) and Baldi (DEM) as qualified for the general election, with no write-in or minor-party candidates.
  • Cash on hand: the DOS treasurer-report summary pages do not show it for either candidate. Boyd-affiliated political committees were not researched.
  • Polls: searches found no public polling for Senate District 20.
  • Progressive endorsements of Boyd: none found. Neither the Florida AFL-CIO 2026 list nor the West Central Florida Labor Council 2026 list has an SD 20 entry, Equality Florida's pages (eqfl.org, eqflpac.org) list no SD 20 candidate, and the Florida Planned Parenthood PAC slate reported by WLRN does not include SD 20.
  • Baldi's progressive endorsements appear only on his campaign site. No statements from the groups themselves were found.
  • Right-leaning endorsements of Baldi: none found.
  • Searched NRA-PVF, Florida Right to Life, Americans for Prosperity (only a 2022 AFP-FL endorsement of Boyd for SD 21 was found, not counted), NFIB Florida (only a 2024 list was found), Florida Medical Association PAC, Florida Farm Bureau FarmPAC, Florida PBA/FOP, Florida Education Association, Sierra Club, Florida Conservation Voters, Moms Demand Action/Everytown (only an older Everytown SD 20 endorsement of a different candidate turned up) and Creative Loafing Tampa. None had a 2026 SD 20 entry that could be opened.
  • Search results said the Florida Sentinel Bulletin lists Baldi among its endorsements, but the only source was a Blue Voter Guide page that returned 403 and a bot check, and the paper's original was not found. Not recorded.
  • iVoterGuide labels Baldi "Liberal" and Boyd "Conservative" and lists no endorsements for either. These are an aggregator's ideology labels, not endorsements, so they are not recorded.
  • The Bradenton Times' reference to Boyd's support of SB 399 was not independently checked on flsenate.gov; the same is true of the Times' claims about Manatee County wetland rules.
  • Ballotpedia district and candidate pages and the Florida Phoenix article on Boyd's selection as president-designate would not load (empty pages or 403). WWSB coverage was used for the designation instead.
  • Baldi has never held elected office, and no legislative voting record exists for him.

Tampa Bay Times

EditorialMoney map

Not found in the research.

EditorialAs recorded in each guide

Endorsements, both lenses

Neither lens is this site's voice

Progressive lens

Lens
Jim BoydREPIncumbent0 support · 0 oppose

No listings found in this guide.

Gerald BaldiDEM5 support · 0 oppose

SupportEndorsement

Reproductive rights
  • Planned Parenthood (entity not specified) · Listed on the candidate's own site without saying which Planned Parenthood entity. WLRN's Oct. 13, 2026 report on the Florida Planned Parenthood PAC's Nov. 3 slate names only Senate Districts 14, 32 and 34, so this listing could not be confirmed.Aggregator only
LGBTQ+
Environment & climate
Progressive & community organizing
Democratic Party & caucuses

Searched, nothing found

Not found in the research.

Right-leaning lens

Lens
Jim BoydREPIncumbent4 support · 0 oppose

SupportEndorsement

Republican Party & officials
Business & industry
Gerald BaldiDEM0 support · 0 oppose

No listings found in this guide.

Searched, nothing found

Not found in the research.

Sources

30 for this contest, official records first

Where to vote